Alicia Mckay
My name is Alicia. I am 29 years old and my story happened 9 years and 1 month ago. To be honest, I had no idea that there was any form of support group, awareness or form of help. I have been struggling and still struggling to this day with undiagnosed PTSD this whole time until February of last year when I started seeing a psychiatrist and taking antidepressants. (Sepsis and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) I went this long without expressing how my body feels and how I mentally feel, that I don’t think anyone takes me serious.
I had my son in the beginning of April of 2009; 2 weeks after I had him, I started having abdominal pain and I noticed it didn’t go away after taking Motrin and the fact I couldn’t hold my son any more. I had a 2-year-old and a newborn and I had no idea what was ahead for me on my way to the ER with my mom. We got to the ER, did my vitals and sat in the waiting room. My mom and I were the only ones there because we didn’t know the severity of what my body was about to do. I had a family friend take my 2-year-old, so my newborn was with us at the hospital. We met a man in the waiting room that had cut open his thumb so bad that it might have almost been cut off (I have no idea what happened to this man either). My mom and I talked to him for a little while and then I started to become cold. My body started shivering and my lips, toes and fingers turned purple. I felt the cramping in my stomach moving up higher towards my chest. My mom asked for help right away and I feel over in my seat and had my head on my mom’s lap. She kept shaking me awake until someone finally came out with some blankets and they had to wheel me into the back because I lost all mobility in my arms and legs.
Now the 6 days I was in there I only remember a few things so you’re going to have to bear with me on details from here on out of my hospital experience. Anyways, They got me into the back and I remember they did another vitals on me and my blood pressure was 72/53. I heard my mom and my husband at the time talking to my doctor and I looked at my doctor and asked him if I was okay and he said “No sweetheart, you’re sicker than a dog.” I would give anything to find that doctor and tell him thank you for saving my life. I had 3 CT scans and tests after tests done because no one told them right away that I just had a baby. My stomach was bloated like I was 6 months pregnant and I felt every little tiny thing my body was trying to digest. I had a uterine infections that got into my blood stream. (Sepsis and Pregnancy & Childbirth, Sepsis and Urinary Tract Infections) My intestines, stomach, uterus, bladder, kidneys and liver were inflamed and infected.
The pain that I had while digesting was so excruciating I never wanted to drink or eat anything while I was there and I had family or friend eat my food so I wouldn’t. I vomited bits of white foam, almost like rectangle pieces of bread. I was on morphine and demerol along with 8 different antibiotics throughout my 6 days in ICU. While I was there my great-grandfather died, so my family was coming from out of town and state to make it to his funeral, see the new baby and myself. I had my sister’s father in-law give me a blessing as well. I’m sure you all know the horrible pain of being that sick and just hoping it all goes away.
In the long run, it’s been 9 years and I don’t feel it’s gone. I still feel like I have issues with my intestines. It’s like needles when I wait too long. I don’t express it to my doctors that I have because they weren’t the original doctors I had and I’m tired of my family thinking I’m making it all up after so many years that have gone by. I just recently had another baby, it’s been 9 years since, and I am so paranoid that it’ll happen to me again. I still don’t think anyone takes me seriously with any of my symptoms an they all just make it seems like it’s all in my head. I don’t know who to talk to about this and I don’t know what I can do for support. I just felt I could share my story and hope it’ll help me get it out there. Thank you for reading my survival story.
